Two of my favorite activities are selecting fabrics and rehabbing antique furniture. I love seeing the potential in a beautifully shaped antique furniture piece and envisioning the transformation that a new fabric cover would unveil. Reupholstering is a great way to utilize old pieces in a new way and integrate traditional decor into your home. I’m excited to share with you my experiences in reupholstery and some tips when considering your own projects.
Selecting a piece
I find furniture pieces to reupholster at thrift shops such as Goodwill, antique shops, flea markets, Craig’s list, Facebook Marketplace, the curb, and, yes, even in the garbage. This coral chair was rescued for me by my cousin, whose neighbor had sent the Bernhardt chair to the curb. After a coral and white fabric refresh, it’s good as new.
The most important criterion when rehabbing old furniture is whether it has “good bones.” That means it has sturdy wood frame construction or a damaged frame issue that can be easily fixed or securely reinforced. Here’s a fitting good bones example. As macabre as it sounds, I benefited from previously living next to a retirement community. The residents would, unfortunately, pass away and their relatives would discard traditional furniture pieces because they didn’t fit their home’s décor. Enter me, walking my dog and casually peeking in dumpsters for antique pieces. My favorite garbage find was a three-paneled antique screen with a wooden rose carving. The outer frame and hinges were in great condition. All it needed was some internal support framing, some batting, and fresh fabric.
When I acquire an antique wooden piece, I first dust it thoroughly to see what I’m working with. Then I take a stain pen that best matches the existing stain and touch up small spots where the stain has come off and the wood is visible beneath. You’d be surprised the difference those two steps can make. If it needs structural repairs, I’ve used wood glue, nails, reinforcing woodblocks, and metal L-shaped brackets. I’ve also replaced missing nailheads. If the furniture is not sturdy after this work, I consider whether the piece is worth the time and cost of rehab. For truly special pieces, I’ve consulted a professional antique furniture repairer for assistance, especially when a supporting leg was the issue.
Selecting fabric
Selecting the fabric for an upholstery project is my favorite part! Such projects require upholstery grade fabric woven with materials that make it more durable. Regular cotton or polyester fabric used for sewing and craft projects are not robust enough. There are many factors I consider when finding a fabric that not only speaks to me but is also appropriate for the job.
How will the furniture be used?
If it is a seating piece, I consider how frequently it will be sat upon. The more use it will get the more robust the fabric must be. If the item is strictly decorative, like the screen mentioned earlier, I can consider delicate fabrics and intricate embroidery. If the piece is something in between, such as a chair that won’t be frequently used, I’ll consider a durable fabric with some delicate features such as silk damask or velvet.
The chair below is used moderately in a guest bedroom. The velvet seat adds texture and will stand up to occasional sitting. The delicate silk backing will be touched less and will last longer on this chair because it’s not a high-use item.
For high-use items like the chair below, I check the colorfastness of the fabric so that I can spray it with a protective stain guard without worrying about the colors bleeding.
How versatile must the piece be?
The answer depends on where I’m hoping to put it. If I’m looking to move this piece from room to room over time, I will consider a more neutral fabric that coordinates with numerous rooms. A neutral piece can be tied into the color scheme of several rooms by adding coordinating decorative pillows. The more distinctive the style or print of the fabric, the harder it may be to move it around the house, depending on how uniquely styled the other rooms are. That said, if a great print speaks to me, I frequently end up designing a whole room around it. Many of my room’s decorative themes started with an inspirational fabric.
[A side note on color choices: One design element I’ve tried to embrace as my experience deepens is using fabrics that coordinate with others in the room, but don’t necessarily match. I’m prone to matchy-matchy tendencies and I’m learning that using variations in print scale, pattern, and color makes for a more interesting room than one that follows a strict color or pattern code.]
What textures would make the room visually and tactilely richer?
If the room already has lots of mirrors, shiny metal frames and nobs, or satiny fabrics, I consider finding a plush or textured fabric such as velvet, wool, or linen. Conversely, I add some light-reflecting silks or fabrics with metallic embroidery to a room full of natural fibers.
What is the fabric repeat?
The repeat is the distance before the pattern begins again. When selecting fabric, I keep in mind that the larger the repeat, the more fabric I might need to buy. This is because there may be a part of the design that I’d like to place more prominently. Sometimes that means using fabric pieces that are in the middle of the yard with the rest going to waste. In those cases, you’ll be needing more yardage to cover the entire piece. For instance, the chair below showcases a tree print that was cut out of the middle of a tapestry.
Reupholstery considerations
Depending on my ambition, skills, and tools on hand, I consider whether to reupholster an item myself or whether to outsource it to a professional. If I’m looking at a seating piece that needs new springs or webbing, I’ll leave it to the professionals (that is, until I finally take an upholstery class). But, if a piece merely needs a new no-sew seat cover that I can apply with a staple gun or a cushion cover that I can sew, I’m ready to dive right in!
When doing my own reupholstery, I take the old fabric off carefully so that I can use it as a pattern to cut out new fabric pieces. This cane chair received a fresh coat of paint and some Laura Ashley fabric that I adhered with a staple gun.
When outsourcing upholstery projects, I get a yardage estimate from the upholsterer on how much fabric they’ll need for the project. I prefer to buy my own fabric. Purchasing fabric through an upholsterer means I’ll be limited in fabric options by the companies they work with. They’ll likely pass along a small discount off market prices, but their options may be costly. My happy place is visiting big warehouse stores with rows and rows of upholstery fabric. I can browse a larger selection, see a big piece of the fabric rather than a small sample, and take advantage of sales.
When I work with an upholsterer, I need to give them specifications on how I’d like the finishing details to look. Things to consider include: single or double welting, nailhead color/material, decorative trims types and colors, and buttons and other tufting styles. These finishing details hold the fabric in place and/or cover up their edges. Here are some examples of these options:
Lastly, many antique pieces, if they still have their original upholstery, may have horsehair as stuffing. As a personal preference, I like to maintain the horsehair, when possible, to keep some of the original materials and feel. If it’s a cushioned piece, I’ll request the upholsterer add a bit more cushion on top of the horsehair. My mother and I maintained the horsehair stuffing in these antique dining chairs when we made new covers:
I hope these tips will inspire you to revitalize antique furniture. What piece of furniture will you transform through reupholstery?
